Tablet learning apparatus

ABSTRACT

A learning apparatus can electronically provide content to a user via a display on the learning apparatus. The content can include stationary image elements and removable image elements at a plurality of locations on the display. When a user shakes the learning apparatus, the removable image elements may move away from the plurality of locations. The user can then select one or more image elements, and place them at locations on the display.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Pat. No. 9,501,941corresponding to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/615,462, entitled“Tablet Learning Apparatus,” filed Sep. 13, 2012, which claims priorityfrom and is a non-provisional application of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/534,737, entitled “Tablet Learning Apparatus,” filedSep. 14, 2011, the entire contents of which are herein incorporated byreferences for all purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As electronic books are becoming more prevalent, more electronicchildren's books are becoming available. However, these books are simplystories in electronic form. For example, these books do not allow thechild to interact with the text and graphics or to receive feedback andhave the story advance as the child's reading skills advance.

Embodiments of the invention address these and other problemsindividually and collectively.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention are directed to a tablet learning apparatusand related systems and methods.

One embodiment of the invention is directed to a method comprisingelectronically providing content to a user via a display on a learningapparatus wherein the content comprises a plurality of stationary imageelements and a plurality of removable image elements at a plurality oflocations on the display, detecting when a user shakes the learningapparatus, wherein the removable image elements move away from theplurality of locations, receiving an indication that one or more of theimage elements has been selected by a user, and determining a locationof placement of the one or more image elements by the user.

Another embodiment of the invention is directed to an apparatuscomprising a housing, a display screen on the housing, a processorcoupled with the housing and a computer readable medium coupled to theprocessor. The computer readable medium comprising computer readableprogram code embodied therein. The computer readable program codeadapted to be executed by a processor for implementing a methodcomprising electronically providing content to a user via a display on alearning apparatus wherein the content comprises a plurality ofstationary image elements and a plurality of removable image elements ata plurality of locations on the display, detecting when a user shakesthe learning apparatus, wherein the removable image elements move awayfrom the plurality of locations, receiving an indication that one ormore of the image elements has been selected by a user, and determininga location of placement of the one ore more image elements by the user.

Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a tablet apparatuscomprising a housing, a display screen on the housing, a processorcoupled with the housing, and a computer readable medium coupled to theprocessor. The computer readable medium comprising computer readableprogram code embodied therein. The computer readable program codeadapted to be executed by a processor for implementing a methodcomprising providing content in an electronic book via the displayscreen to a user, wherein the content includes an image of an object,words, and a data input region, receiving input from the user into thedata input region, and automatically modifying, by the processor, anappearance of the object after receiving the input from the user.

These and other embodiments are described in further detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a tablet learning apparatus according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the various components of a tablelearning apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a system menu according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 6-9 are exemplary screen shots of a display of a table learningapparatus according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart of auto-leveling according to an embodiment ofthe invention.

FIGS. 11(a)-11(e) are exemplary screen shots of a display of a tabletlearning apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart of an exemplary activity according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 13-28 are exemplary screen shots of a display of a table learningapparatus according to embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Tablet Learning Apparatus

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a tablet learning apparatus 100according to an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, thetablet learning apparatus may include a housing 102, a display screen104 on the housing, a directional control pad 106 on the housing 102,and an audio output device 108 such as a speaker on the housing 102. Theapparatus 100 may also include one or more actions buttons such as ahome button 110, a power button 112 and one or more volume buttons114(a)-114(b) (e.g., a volume up button and a volume down button).

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the tablet learning apparatus 100 and aremovable stylus 116. FIG. 3 shows a and back/top view of the tabletlearning apparatus 100 and a camera 118, an output port 120 for anoutput device such as headphones, a cartridge connector 122 and an inputport 124 for devices (e.g., a USB port). Preferably the device has a USBport for uploading and downloading data via a personal computer or otherdevice.

In one embodiment, the housing 102 may be shaped so that it can be heldin the hand of a small child. The housing 102 may be made of moldedplastic and may be rectangular shaped with rounded corners and edges.The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 does not have a keyboard. However, one ormore alpha-numeric keys could be included on the housing in analternative embodiment. Based on the disclosure and teachings providedherein, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate how toutilize various housing shapes for use in accordance with the presentinvention.

The display screen 104 may comprise any suitable display device. Forexample, suitable display screens may include, LEDs (light emittingdiodes), LCDs (liquid crystal displays), etc. Appropriate driverprograms and/or driver chips (e.g., LCD driver chips) can be included inthe apparatus 100 to facilitate the function of the display screen 104.For example, in some embodiments, the display screen 104 may comprise anLCD screen have a screen size of 5 inches by 3.2 inches. The displayscreen may occupy a significant portion of the device.

The display screen 104 may also have touch-screen capability. Inembodiments of the invention the display screen 104 may be a resistiveor capacitive screen. In one embodiment the touch screen capability isadjusted for stylus sensitivity which allows movement of the stylus 116on the display screen 104 to be detected.

The touch-screen capability may be achieved via an electronic positionlocation system. The electronic position location system is capable ofdetermining a location of a selected region of the display screen 104. Acommercially available electronic position location system like the onesthat are used in many commercially available devices such as personaldigital assistants, tablet PCs, and smartphones, may be used. Anexemplary system may comprise a glass or plastic plate with a metalliccoating facing a metallic coating on an underside of a layer of Mylar™above the glass or plastic plate. Pressing the screen with the stylus116 brings the plate and the Mylar™ layer in contact with each other sothat an electrical current flows through them. By measuring theelectrical current from two sides of the display screen 104, a computerprogram then determines the vertical and horizontal position of thestylus 116. By sampling contact locations at a predetermined rate, suchas, 100 times a second or faster, the display screen 104 can detect theposition of the stylus 116. In other examples, there can be a grid ofwires under the display screen 104 that can be activated afterinteraction with the stylus 116. The x-y position can be determined witha processor inside the apparatus 100.

The directional control pad 106 can be of the type used in commerciallyavailable handheld gaming devices. The pad 106 can be depressed to movea cursor up, down, to the left, to the right or to other predetermineddirections. The directional control pad 106 allows a user to move acursor or other image on the display screen 104 to select an imageelement on the display screen 104.

Action buttons can be included in the apparatus 100. For example, asshown in FIG. 1, a power button 112 may be provided to turn theapparatus 100 on and off. A “home” button 110 may be provided to allowthe user to get back to a home state. For example, the “home” button 110can bring the user back to the main menu. Also, one or more volumebuttons 114(a)-114(b) may be provided to allow a user to adjust thevolume of the audio on the device up or down

The apparatus 100 may include a memory device comprising computer codefor an educational game, electronic book, or other application program,and/or for storing computer code that relates to the operation of theapparatus 100. Based on the disclosure and teaching provided herein,various educational games, electronic books and other applicationprograms can be played and viewed using the apparatus 100. Theeducational programs and another of the functions described in thisapplication can be programmed by those or ordinary skill in the artusing any suitable programming language including C, C++, Flash, etc.

The memory device may be any suitable temporary or permanent informationstorage device. For example, the memory device may include one or moreof optical, magnetic, or electronic storage media such as optical ormagnetic disks, tapes, sticks, and the like. Storage devices such asthese may be used alone or in combination to make up the memory device.Any suitable number of RAM (random access memory), ROM (read onlymemory) and EPROM (erasable programmable memory) chips may also beincluded in the memory device. The memory device may also include onboard memory accessed via USB, WiFi or 3G connection to computer orother device or the internet. The memory device may be internal and/orexternal to the housing of the apparatus 100.

Furthermore, the memory device may be or include a cartridge (e.g., aflash data cartridge), a disk, a tape, or a memory stick. Cartridges areespecially desirable since they can be easily manipulated and handled bychildren. Any suitable amount of storage space may be provided on thememory device.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a cartridge (not shown) can bereceived by an opening 122 in the housing 102. The opening 122 includesappropriate circuitry that allows data from the cartridge to be read.The use of cartridges provides interchangeability.

Any suitable power source may be used. For example, rechargeable ornon-rechargeable batteries can be used with the apparatus 100.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the various internal componentsof the apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. Theapparatus 100 may include a processor 402, and various componentscoupled with the processor, as shown. The processor 402 controlsoperations of the apparatus 100 and manages interactions amongst thevarious components.

The apparatus 100 may further include a microphone (Mic) 430, a display412, a speaker 414, a camera 416, an accelerometer 432, a cartridgeconnector 418, a power supply 420, a control pad 422, one or more actionbuttons 424 (e.g., power button, volume button, home button, etc.), andinput ports for input device(s) 426, and output ports for outputdevices(s) 428 (e.g., audio output devices such as headphones).

The apparatus 100 may include one or more storage devices which mayinclude, for example, devices such as disk drives, optical storagedevices, solid-state storage devices such as random access memory (RAM),and/or read-only memory (ROM), which can be programmable,flash-updatable, and/or the like. The apparatus 100 may additionallyinclude working memory 404 which may include RAM and ROM devices. Theapparatus 100 may also comprise software elements, shown as beingcurrently located within a working memory 404, including an operatingsystem 406 and/or other code 408, such as an application program (whichmay be a client application, Web browser, mid-tier application, RDBMS,etc.). It should be appreciated that alternate embodiments of anapparatus 100 may have numerous variations from that described above.For example, customized hardware might also be used and/or particularelements might be implemented in hardware, software (including portablesoftware, such as applets), or both. Further, connection to othercomputing devices such as network input/output devices may be employed.Embodiments of the invention may also include WiFi or 3G access to theinternet or to applications.

The apparatus 100 may include a computer readable medium (CRM) 410. TheCRM 410 may be present within the apparatus 100 or may be detachablefrom it. The CRM 410 may represent remote, local, fixed, and/orremovable storage devices plus storage media for temporarily and/or morepermanently containing, storing, transmitting, and retrievingcomputer-readable information.

Storage media and computer readable media for containing code, orportions of code, can include any appropriate media known or used in theart, including storage media and communication media, such as but notlimited to volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable mediaimplemented in any method or technology for storage and/or transmissionof information such as computer readable instructions, data structures,program modules, or other data, including RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memoryor other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disk (DVD) orother optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic diskstorage or other magnetic storage devices, data signals, datatransmissions, or any other medium which can be used to store ortransmit the desired information and which can be accessed by thecomputer. Based on the disclosure and teachings provided herein, aperson of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate other ways and/ormethods to implement the various embodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary main structure of auser interface to be displayed to a user on the display screen 104 ofapparatus 100. For example, after launching an application on theapparatus 100, such as an electronic book application, a screen may bedisplayed for the user for a few seconds with a start up logo (notshown). Next, a title screen 502 may be displayed that has the title ofthe book application, an author/illustrator if appropriate, a HUD bar tovary settings, and a page turn arrow to enter the first page of thebook. A story page 504 may include vocal reading with text highlighted,animated graphics according to the story, and a HUD bar to varysettings. Touch and responses 506 may allow the user to interact withcharacters/graphics, learn new words with visual dictionary, learnpronunciations with sound-it-say-it, and include badges. Users may doactivities 508 that may include interactive curricular questions,auto-leveling system, and badges. Users may record their voice by pagesand have playback recorded in story pages 510. Users may play mini-games512 which may be transition games in a story and may get scores/rewardsand badges.

Creativity Applications

Embodiments of the invention provide a suite of creativity applicationsthat combine to offer a story creation experiences all built into asingle learning device. Creativity applications and tools may include anart studio, camera, video camera, microphone and gallery that can beused across applications. A user may use these tools to build his ownbook and put his own photo, drawing, video and audio recording intomultiple “cut-outs” on each page (e.g., insert media into the page). Auser may be able to create his own sentences from a drop-down text andadd his own text via a QWERTY keyboard. A user may be able to also addstamps and decorations to pages and on top of page templates. The useror a parent of the user may be able to upload the book the user createdto a computer and to Facebook, email, etc. Thus, the book may be sharedwith family and friends.

FIGS. 6-8 show screen shots of exemplary pages a user may create.Referring to FIGS. 6-7, a user may fill in text in the sentence 62 andsentence 72. The user may be able to record his voice by clicking on themicrophone icon 64 and 74 at the end of the sentence. The user may beable to draw or insert a picture into each cut-out 66(a)-(c) and76(a)-(b) on the page. Once the user draws a picture or takes a picturewith the camera, the picture may be inserted into the cut-outs on thepage. Referring to FIG. 8, a user may fill in the blanks 82(a)-(b) inthe sentences and fill in the cut-outs 84(a)-(b) with pictures ordrawings.

A number of different templates may be provided for creating thepersonalized stories and books. Additional templates may be availablefor the user to purchase. Different levels of experience may be providedfor different ages and abilities. For example, the experience may bemore guided for younger kids and less guided (more self-directed) forolder kids. There may be fewer options for younger kids and more optionsfor older kids. The user interface may be easy to use so that the usercan use it without parent help.

Book Applications and Automatic Reading Levels

As mentioned above, a user may be able to view an electronic bookapplication on the apparatus. In embodiments of the invention, each bookapplication may have several different reading levels which mayrepresent different difficultly levels (e.g., different versions of thestory associated with each reading level). For example, each book mayhave three reading levels which represent three different difficultylevels (from easy to hard level 1 to level 3). Each reading level mayhave several different sublevels (e.g., reading level 1 may havesublevels 1 through 3).

Contents of the different reading levels and the display of thesecontents may be quite different. When a user moves to the next readinglevel, the text may become more complicated and the text level mayincrease. Smaller fonts may be used for higher levels to keep all textin a proper display area. Graphics may also differ from level to level.For example, in easier levels there may be a clear distinction betweenthe text and illustrations, with the text on a solid background andseparate from the illustration and the illustrations may support thestory though a clear and comprehensible progression that stands alone ina “picture read.” As the levels get more advanced, illustrations supportthe story but can be more complex since the reader will not depend onthe illustration for comprehension. In more advanced levels,illustrations may enhance and extend the meaning of the words, but thewords become the primary focus. Further, advanced levels may haveillustrations that may contain “surprises” (e.g., a tiny mouse appearsacross pages, but is only tangentially related to the story).

For example, a reading level 1 may have short sentence length,paragraphs of a few sentences, easy vocabulary and a font size of 18 pt.A reading level 2 may have a medium sentence length, paragraphs with amedium amount of sentences, easy and medium vocabulary, and a font sizeof 16 pt. A reading level 3 may have long sentence lengths, manysentences in a paragraph, easy, medium and hard vocabulary, and a fontsize of 14 pt. Exemplary screen shots of different reading levels areshown in FIG. 9. More details for exemplary reading levels are includedin the following table:

FEATURES LEVEL 1 LEVEL 2 LEVEL 3 LEVEL 4 LEXILE LEVEL 0-99 100-249250-399 400-600+ WORDS PER SENTENCE ≈1-5 ≈1-8 ≈1-10 ≈1-15 WORDS PERSPREAD ≈25 ≈40 ≈60 ≈75 TOTAL WORDS 200+ ≈Each level may have at least a25% increase in total words Decodable words/sight 90% 80% 60% 40% wordsratio decodable decodable decodable decodable % OF WORDS WITH 1 SYLLABLE90% or more 75% or more 50% or more 25% or more CONTRACTIONS Avoid OK onOK on OK occasion occasion PAST TENSE OK OK OK OK Adjectives, Adverbs OKOK OK OK POSSESSIVE Occasionally Occasionally OK OK Commas per sentenceAvoid 1-2 Up to 3 Up to 3 COMPOUND SUBJECTS Avoid OK OK OK Scout andViolet play tag every afternoon. Compound verbs Avoid OK if simple OK OKScout goes to the park and plays fetch every day. Compound sentencesAvoid Generally OK if simple OK (2 independent clauses) avoid Scoutplayed fetch, and Violet dug a hole. Complex sentences Avoid GenerallyOK if simple OK Scout brought Violet a biscuit avoid after she helpedhim find his ball. SENTENCE WRAP Generally Generally Once per Once perSENTENCE WRAPS TO NEXT avoid avoid sentence sentence LINE

In an embodiment of the invention a user may launch a book application(e.g., engage an icon on the display screen of the apparatus by tappinghis finger on the icon or using a stylus to tap the icon). When the bookapplication is launched, a cover page may be displayed on the displayscreen with information associated with the book such as the title,author, illustrator, an animating graphic, and an audio announcement ofthe book. There may be several reading modes such as a mode to have theentire story read to the user, a mode to have each page read to theuser, or a mode to allow the user to read the story on his own. The usermay also be able to record himself reading the story, play games relatedto the story (e.g., story games or curricular games), paint, and adjustsettings (e.g., reading level, exit, text highlights off/on, zoom,tutor, brightness, etc.). The user may tap a word to trigger a sayit-sound it sequence. If the tapped word is a decodable word (i.e., wordthat can be sounded out), letters highlight as the word is sounded out.If the word is a sight word (i.e., words with irregular spellingpatterns that cannot be sounded out and need to be memorized), it may beexplained that some words are not so easy to sound out and these wordsare good to remember as a whole word.

A profile may be associated with the user that contains informationabout the user (e.g., name, age, grade, etc.). The user's grade in hisprofile may be used to set the initial reading level when he visits abook application for the first time. For example, a user that is PreK(pre-kindergarten) may be set to a reading level 1, a user inkindergarten may be set to a reading level 2 and a first grader may beset to a reading level 3.

After the user takes part in activities, an auto-leveling system may beactivated. A level recommendation may be based on algorithm factoringvocabulary activity score and comprehension activity score. For example,factors that may determine a reading level may include accuracy andspeed of responses to activities, percent decodable words and sightwords, percent multi-syllabic words, number of words per sentence,sentences per page, font size and placement, language/sentencestructure, familiarity of content, vocabulary, etc.

The reading level for the user may be stored on the device as the user'sglobal reading level (e.g., as a global variable for the profile whichnew titles access when first played). Then a suggested level from theauto-leveling may be used as a default reading level every time the userenters the book application again. According to the user's performancein an activity, he may level up or level down. For example, if the userlevels down (e.g., from level 3 to level 2), the lower level will bestored and used automatically the next time a book application isopened. If the user levels up (e.g., from level 1 to level 2), thehigher level will be stored and used automatically the next time a bookapplication is opened. If the user levels up, the change may beannounced by a pop-up or voice to provide encouragement to the user. Auser may also have the option to manually change the reading level of abook while he is reading the book. In one embodiment of the invention,this will only effect the reading level of the current book the user isreading and will not be saved. Thus, if the user exits the book andre-enters into the same or a different book application, the suggestedlevel will be used (and not the level manually used the previous time).A user's associated reading level may be applied across the bookapplication library to every book application the child accesses.

FIG. 10 shows a flow chart for determining the reading level for a user.Once the user enters the application (1002), the apparatus determineswhether there is a auto-leveling data (1004). If there is noauto-leveling data, the user's grade is used to determine the readinglevel and a title page is displayed with the initial level indicated(1006). A setting is provided for a user to manually modify the readinglevel (1008). If the user does not manually modify the reading level,then the book application content associated with the initial readinglevel is provided to the user (1010) (e.g., via the display screen). Ifthe user does manually modify the reading level, then the bookapplication content associated with the reading level the user haschosen is provided to the user (1018) (e.g., via the display screen).

If there is auto-leveling data when the user enters the application,then a title page is displayed with the suggested level indicated basedon the auto-leveling data (1012). A setting is provided for a user tomanually modify the reading level (1014). If the user does not manuallymodify the reading level, then the book application content associatedwith the suggested reading level is provided to the user (1016) (e.g.,via the display screen). If the user does manually modify the readinglevel, then the book application content associated with the readinglevel the user has chosen is provided to the user (1018) (e.g., via thedisplay screen).

Activities

In an embodiment of the invention, each book application may haveseveral activity instances. Activities may be closely related to thecontent of the book text so that the activity's difficulty level mayalso be raised. When text is longer and has more details, there may bemore points to set questions and answers. High-level questions may belonger and may have more challenging structure and vocabulary.Activities may also be separate from or independent from a bookapplication or related to more than one book application.

An activity may be launched by selecting an activity icon that appearsonscreen. An activity may be focused on one or more curricular goalssuch as reading comprehension (e.g., story comprehension activity andvocabulary) and reading basics (e.g., decoding and word recognition).The activities log user data and affect the user's suggested readinglevel though auto-leveling functionality. Activities may only beavailable when the user's reading level is his suggested reading level.Activities may also be available at all reading levels and not only whenthe user is at his specific reading level. A user may earn rewards bycompleting activities. On the reader's reward page at the end of thestory, an audio prompt may remind readers that to earn rewards, they cango back and play activities in the story. Each activity may have adifferent content that plays depending on the page and reading level.Activities may be optional.

The activities may appear at different intervals in any given bookapplication. Each activity may be related to the story page it is foundon and all of its answers may be found or may be provided on that page.There may also be an end of book decodable word activity.

There may be several types of activities where a user taps on words ofgraphics to answer a question. Graphics may include images as well asyes and no buttons. These types of activities may include story pagequestions (e.g., tap a target to answer a simple question using words orgraphics on a page), spot the words (e.g., spot words read in audio on astory page and answer as much as possible before time runs out),multiple choice (e.g., pick the correct answer from all the givenanswers), and binary choice (e.g., hear the audio and then choose formone of two items according to the story such as true/false, yes/no,before/after, Mater/Lightning, etc.).

Other types of activities may be provided where a user may drag a wordto fill in the blanks in a sentence or paragraph. These types ofactivities may include shaking the device so that the words fall out andthen the user has to drag the words back into the correct location(e.g., choose one word from several words and drag it into a blank).

An exemplary motion based activity is a shake and drag activity is shownin FIGS. 11(a)-(e) and 12. Referring to FIG. 12, to access an activity,a user may press an activity button (1204) on a story page (1202). Thestory text may fade and the question text may fade in (1206). The text(e.g., content 1106) may comprise a plurality of stationary imageelements 1102 and a plurality of removable image elements 1104 as shownin FIG. 11(a). There may be several words underlined or highlighted onthe page as shown in FIG. 11(a) which comprise the removable elements1104. Audio instructions may indicate to the user to shake the device(1208). The user may have the option of tapping a button to repeat theinstructions (1234). Once the user shakes the device (1210), thehighlighted words fall down from the text to the bottom of the screen onan answer bar with random order (1212), as shown in FIGS. 11(b)-11(c). Auser can then drag any answer to any blank during the play phase (1214),as shown in FIGS. 11(d)-11(e). A user may then tap done to submit hisanswers (1216). The done button then appears (1236) and the apparatuschecks if any blanks are left (1238) (e.g., determines the location ofplacement of the image elements). If blanks are left, the user cancontinue to drag and put the words in the blanks (1214).

If the user taps the done button and all the blanks are filled, theanswers may then be checked (1218) (e.g., determines the location ofplacement of image elements and if they are placed in the correctlocation(s)). The answers may also be checked one at a time when theuser places each answer. If all the blanks are not correct (1220) andthere are no chances left (1222), then the activity may end (1224). Forexample, if the user fails to get all the answer correct after a certainamount of tries (e.g., 3 tries), then the activity may automaticallyquit. Audio may be played that says “listen to the story and try again,”or “listen to this page and try again.” If all the blanks are notcorrect (1220), and there are still more chances left (1222) a correctanswer may be indicated with a visual effect and a wrong answer mayautomatically fall back to the answer bar (1226). The user may try todrag the falling wrong answers to its correct blanks and submit againusing the done button.

If all the blanks are correct (1220), the question text may fade out andnormal text may fade in (1228). After all the blanks are correctlyfilled, the whole paragraph may be read once (1230). After the usercompletes the activity, a pop-up message may appear on the display tocongratulate the user (1232). In the pop-up window the user may see howmany correct answers he gets in an activity.

In other embodiments, instead or in addition to shake and dragging textback into sentences as described above, other activities may includeshaking and dragging numbers back into equations and shaking anddragging objects and associated words. For example, a number ofequations may be displayed to the user (e.g., 1+1=2; 2+3=5; and 6+7=8)and when the user shakes the device, predetermined numbers may fall out(e.g., a 1, the 3 and the 8). Then the user may drag the numbers thatfell out into the blanks in the equations (e.g., insert the 1 into theequation_+1=2). Similarly, a number of shapes or objects and associatedwords may be displayed to the user (e.g., drawing of a cat, drawing of amouse, a square, a triangle, etc.). When the user shakes the device thewords may fall out and the user may drag the words back next to theassociate shape or object (e.g., the word “cat” next to the drawing ofthe cat).

The activity may start out with just a couple or few words that arefairly obvious and then later on use words that require a user to makemore inferences. For example, a reading level 1 may have 2 words foreach read, reading level 2 may have 3 words for each read, level 3 mayhave 4 words for each read, etc. An exemplary shake and drag activitywith just a few words is shown in FIGS. 15-20. The few words may bepredetermined based on a reading level, curriculum needs, etc. or may berandom. As explained in further detail above, instructions may indicateto a user to shake the device. In FIG. 15, a visual indication 1505 isused to indicate to a user to shake the device. The visual indicationmay be accompanied by audio instructions.

Once the user shakes the device, the underlined words 1605 fall downfrom the text to the bottom of the screen in random order as shown inFIG. 16, and blanks 1610(a)-(c) appear in the sentence where the wordsfell from. The user can then drag any answer to any blank as shown inFIG. 17. A done button 1705 may then appear that the user can use toindicate that he is done and ready to submit his answers. The user maytap the done button to submit his answers. The apparatus checks if anyblanks are left (e.g., determines the location of placement of the imageelements). If no blanks are left as shown in FIG. 17, the answers maythen be checked (e.g., determines the location of placement of imageelements and if they are placed in the correction location(s)). If allthe blanks are not correct, a correct answer may be indicated with avisual effect (e.g., correct answers in green, wrong answers in red) asshown in FIG. 18 and a wrong answer(s) may automatically fall back downto the bottom of the screen as shown in FIG. 19.

The user may try to drag the fallen wrong answer(s) to the correctblanks again (FIG. 20) and continue the process until the user gets themall correct or until an automatic cutoff for number of tries, asexplained in further detail above.

Another exemplary motion based activity is a catch the falling wordsactivity shown in FIGS. 21-23. As shown in FIG. 21 there may be letters2105(a)-(c) that are falling down from the top of the screen and a cart2110 at the bottom of the screen containing a word 2120 with a space forone or more missing letters 2125. As the letters are falling down fromthe top of the screen, the user has to tilt the device to move the cart2110 under the correct letter to catch the letter in the right positionto complete the word on the cart (e.g., tilting the device to the leftmoves the cart 2110 to the left, tilting the device to the right movesthe cart 2110 to the right). For example, a user may tilt the device tothe right so that the cart 2210 rolls to the right of the screen to bepositioned underneath the falling letter “i” 2205(c) so that it willfall between the letters “f” and “v” as shown in FIG. 22. Once theletter falls into place, the word is checked for the correct answer. Ifthe answer is correct, a visual indication that the word is correct maybe shown to the user, as shown in FIG. 23. If the answer is not correct,the user may be given the opportunity to try again or to try anotherword.

Another exemplary activity is a marksmen activity shown in FIGS. 24-26where a user may pull back an arrow and release it to shoot it into thetarget for the correct word. FIG. 24 shows an arrow 2405 and wordtargets 2410(a)-(c). For example, a user may be asked a question orgiven a sentence to complete. To answer the question or complete thesentence, as shown in FIG. 25, the user may touch the arrow 2505 anddrag it back and point it in the direction of the word target2510(a)-(c) that he wants to select. He would then release his touch onthe arrow to shoot it at the word target. The arrow would proceed in thedirection of the word target 2610 as shown in FIG. 26. Once the arrowhas reached the word target 2610, the word is checked for the correctanswer. If the answer is correct, a visual or audio indication that theword is correct may be shown to the user. If the answer is not correct,the user may be given the opportunity to try again or to be givenanother question or sentence to complete.

Another exemplary activity is a cut the rope activity shown in FIGS.27-28. A user may be asked a question or given a sentence to complete.As shown in FIG. 27 words 2705(a)-(c) may appear hanging on ropes2710(a)-(c) over baskets 2720(a)-(c). A user may touch and drag a tool2730 to cut the rope of the word he selects as the answer. As shown inFIG. 28, the user uses the tool 2830 to cut the rope 2810(b) and thenthe word 2805(b) that was hanging from the rope 2810(b) falls into thebasket 2820(b) underneath the word 2805(b). The answer is then checkedif it is correct. If the answer is correct, a visual or audio indicationthat the word is correct may be shown to the user. If the answer is notcorrect, the user may be given the opportunity to try again or to tryquestion or sentence to complete.

The results of the activities performed by the user may determine whatreading level should be set for the user. For example, if the user doesa certain amount of activities (e.g., 6) at least once and answers acertain percentage of questions correctly at the first attempt (e.g.,75%), he may be leveled up. If the user answers a certain percentage ofquestions incorrectly (e.g., 50%), he may be leveled down. Each questionand answer may be logged to the user's profile. Each level up and eachlevel down event may also be logged to the user's profile. The questionsare logged so that a duplicate assessment is not made for a repeatedquestion.

There may be a predetermined number of questions for each reading level(e.g., 90 questions per reading level), with a certain number ofquestions organized across different activities.

Related Applications

In embodiments of the invention, dynamic audio and visuals may beavailable to the user as shown in FIGS. 13-14. The audio or visuals maychange based on a user's choice. For example, content may be displayedto a user and a user may choose to fill in a blank (e.g., data inputregion 1304) in the sentence (e.g., words 1302) as shown in FIG. 13. Theuser may choose or type in the word “roared” to complete the sentence asshown in FIG. 14. For example, the user may choose from a drop down menuof words to select or a user may be given audio choices and then type inthe word or a user may drag words from another part of the page, etc.Once the input from the user is received, the audio for the page maythen read the sentence with the word the user has typed or selected. Thegraphics may also change to reflect the word selected (e.g., theappearance of object 1306 may be modified). For example, the penguin(e.g., object 1306) may look angry if the word “roared” is selected andthe penguin may look timid if the word “whispered” is selected. In thisway, a user may design his own story. The story could be multiple pageswith options to choose different words throughout the story and for theaudio and visuals to change based on a user's choice. After a user makeshis choice, the animation and/or audio associated with the choice may beplayed for the user (e.g., a narrator may read back the sentence,paragraph, or page).

The apparatus may contain numerous other features and applications. Forexample, games may be provided to immerse the user in the story andenable him to participate in an action within the world of the story.Games may act as a story transition experience. Games may be triggeredautomatically when the user turns to certain pages. There may be anumber of games associated with each book (e.g., mini-games about 30seconds each).

A visual dictionary and glossary may also be provided. For example aspecial overlay screen may appear for some words. When the user taps onthe word, the he may hear a child-friendly explanation of the word(e.g., “When someone is upset, they are unhappy”). Animations may beplayed to show the scene/context in which the word is used (e.g., ZenMaster gently rakes for 3 seconds. Mater drives past Zen Master and hitsglass with hook. Zen Master looks upset.). A line of on-screen text mayappear with a new sentence with the learned word (e.g., Mater upset aZen Master).

A picture-word match may be provided. A user may tap a word in the storytext, and its corresponding character/object may react. Also, a user maytap a character/object in the illustration of the story page, and thecorresponding word in the story text may highlight.

An achievements page may also be provided where a user will be awardedfor curricular and game achievements and explorations. Unique art may beunlocked in a Rewards Page to motivate the user to complete hiscollection and earn all achievements.

Although certain programs and applications are described in detailabove, it is understood that embodiments of the invention are notlimited thereto. The educational programs, games and applications mayrelate to any suitable subject including: math (addition, subtraction,division, multiplication); spelling; number, letter, or shaperecognition; phonics; drawing; writing; coloring; fun facts; history;and pattern matching, etc.

There are many advantages provided by embodiments of the invention. Forexample, embodiments of the invention allow a user to achieve higherlevels of reading in addition to supporting the user and his currentreading level. Providing a story at several different levels givesreaders the opportunity to read a story at a level that more closelymatches their reading still, In addition, it enables readers to explorehigher levels of text by listening to words and stories read aloud.Listening to higher level vocabulary is an important part of developingreading skills, and gradually increasing text difficulty in bookapplications is crucial for early reading instruction. Further,providing interactive reading and related learning activities can leadto a higher reading achievement by further engaging readers and buildingconfidence in reading.

Reading modes and levels provide a wide range of possible difficultylevel for kids of different grades and reading abilities. This buildsreading skill and reading comprehension to help users learn to read.Different profiles/users may have a different book experience and levelwith the same application. Further, since several version of each storyare included in one application, there is more value for the price.Enticing pages and fun activities, mini-games, and recordings allencourage kids to read. Activities give kids the chance to learn readingskills, and mini-games give kids the chance to immerse themselves intothe stories. Motion based activities further provide the advantages ofhand-eye coordination and related motor skills. Recording gives kids theopportunity to record their own readings of the books.

The term “content” used throughout this application may includesentences, pictures, stories, math problems, narratives, blogs,drawings, recordings, video, animations, images, words, etc.

It should be understood that the present invention as described abovecan be implemented using software, hardware, or a combination of both,in the form of control logic. Based on the disclosure and teachingsprovided herein, a person of ordinary skill in the art will know of theappropriate ways and/or methods to implement the present invention.

The terms and expressions which have been employed herein are used asterms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention inthe use of such terms and expressions of excluding equivalents of thefeatures shown and described, or portions thereof, it being recognizedthat various modifications are possible within the scope of theinvention claimed.

While the foregoing is directed to certain embodiments of the presentinvention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devisedwithout departing from the basic scope of the invention. Suchalternative embodiments are intended to be included within the scope ofthe present invention. Moreover, the features of one or more embodimentsof the invention may be combined with one or more features of otherembodiments of the invention without departing from the scope of theinvention.

Different programs may be obtained from other standalone memory devicessuch as data cartridges. In other embodiments, it is possible todownload new programs from a server computer via a communication mediumsuch as the Internet.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: a housing; a displayscreen on the housing; a processor coupled with the housing; and anon-transitory computer readable medium coupled to the processor, thenon-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readableprogram code embodied therein, the computer readable program codeadapted to be executed by a processor for implementing operationsincluding: determining a number of a plurality of removable words withinat least one sentence to provide on the display screen based on areading level of a user; electronically providing the at least onesentence to a user via the display screen, the at least one sentencecomprising a plurality of stationary words and the plurality ofremovable words based on the reading level of the user; electronicallyproviding instruction to the user to shake the learning apparatus;detecting when the user shakes the learning apparatus, the user shakingcausing the removable words to be moved from their correspondingoriginal location within the at least one sentence to one or morelocations on the display away from the at least one sentence; moving theremovable words from within the at least one sentence to the one or morelocations on the display away from the at least one sentence in responseto the user shaking the learning apparatus, and displaying the removablewords in a random order; receiving an indication that one or more of theremovable words has been selected by the user and moved to a location inthe at least one sentence; determining the location of the one or moreremovable words; and determining whether the location of the one or moreremovable words is a correct placement or an incorrect placement basedon whether the one or more removable words have been moved back to thecorresponding original location from the one or more locations on thedisplay away from the at least one sentence.
 2. The apparatus of claim1, wherein the operations further include: electronically providingfeedback to the user regarding the location of the one or more removablewords moved by the user.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theoperations further include: based on the determination that the locationof one or more removable words is an incorrect placement, causing theone or more removable image elements that is in an incorrect placementto move away from the location in the at least one sentence.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the operations further include:determining a reading level of the user before determining the number ofthe plurality of removable words within the at least one sentence toprovide on the display screen.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theoperations further include: determining a reading level to be set forthe user, based on a determination that the location of the one or moreremovable words is a correct placement.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the operations further include: logging user data related to thelocation in the at least one sentence of the one or more removable wordsmoved by the user.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the operationsfurther include: determining a reading level based on the logged userdata.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operations furtherinclude: determining that the location of the one or more removablewords is not a correct location in the at least one sentence;determining that there are no chances left for the user to move the oneor more removable words to a correct location in the at least onesentence; and automatically quitting an activity associated with the atleast one sentence.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operationsfurther include: determining that the location of the one or moreremovable words is not a correct location in the at least one sentence;determining that there are more chances left for the user to move theone or more removable words to a correct location in the at least onesentence; and moving the one or more removable words that are not in acorrect location in the at least one sentence, to one or more locationson the display away from the at least one sentence.
 10. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the operations further include: providing content in anelectronic book via the display screen to the user, wherein the contentincludes multiple pages each having at least an image of an object,words, and a data input region; for each of the multiple pages:receiving input of a word from the user into the data input region; andautomatically modifying, by the processor, an appearance of the objectin response to the input of the word from the user, the appearance ofthe object reflecting the meaning of the word inputted from the userafter receiving the input from the user; forming a story based on themultiple pages; and playing back the story for the user.
 11. Theapparatus of claim 10, wherein the object is an image of a character ina story.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein modifying the appearanceof the object includes modifying an expression of the character in thestory.
 13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the operations furtherinclude: playing audio associated with the input from the user.
 14. Theapparatus of claim 10, wherein the operations further include: providinga plurality of words for the user to choose to input into the data inputregion.
 15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the appearance of theobject depends upon the which word the user chooses to input into thedata input region.